The Moon Bearer
Morning sunlight glowed faintly through the high windows of the Great Hall, but Daniel hardly noticed. He kept hearing that cold whisper from the previous night echoing in his ears. He sat between Tom and Scarlett, staring blankly at his plate.
Tom nudged him. “Still thinking about yesterday?”
Daniel shook his head. “Just tired.”
Scarlett studied him quietly. She knew he wasn’t telling the full truth, but she didn’t push. Not today. There was too much to do.
After breakfast, she tapped the pocket where she hid the ingredient list.
“Let’s start collecting,” she whispered.
Tom exhaled. “Finally.”
Daniel tried to smile. “Phase one begins.”
They walked out together, and for a rare moment, the hall didn’t glare at them. Most students were too busy with their lessons or gossip to notice. They slipped out toward the far greenhouse, where their first ingredient waited.
The Greenhouse — Leeches and Lacewing Flies
The inside of Greenhouse Three was humid and warm. Vines crawled up the glass walls, and strange plants pulsed softly as they passed. Scarlett opened her bag and motioned for the boys to stay by the door.
“Leeches are in that pond,” she said. “I’ll collect three. You two keep lookout.”
Tom groaned. “Why does it have to be leeches?”
Daniel smiled faintly. “Because the potion doesn’t care about your feelings.”
Scarlett knelt by the pond, rolled up her sleeves, and dipped a vial into the water. Within seconds, two thick, dark leeches attached themselves inside it.
Tom made a face. “That’s disgusting.”
Scarlett sealed the vial. “One ingredient down.”
Next, she pointed to a set of golden jars near the enchanted window.
“Those hold lacewing flies. They have to stew for twenty-one days, so we need them now.”
She carefully opened the top of a jar, scooped the tiny insects inside another container, and sealed it with a trembling snap.
Daniel raised a brow. “Why trembling?”
Scarlett exhaled. “Because these things fly into your hair if the jar slips.”
Tom shivered. “Let’s leave. Quickly.”
Scarlett grinned. “Gladly.”
They slipped out before any teacher entered.
The Forest Edge — Knotgrass and Fluxweed
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They next walked to the edge of Arcanmere’s forest, where sunlight filtered through thick branches. The wind smelled of damp soil and wood.
Scarlett examined a patch of plants. “Knotgrass grows low. Look for tangled stems.”
Daniel spotted some quickly. “Like this?”
Scarlett checked it. “Perfect. Pull three roots.”
While Daniel collected the knotgrass, Tom pointed to thin stalks with silver tips. “Fluxweed?”
Scarlett nodded. “But we can’t pick that yet.”
Daniel looked up. “Why?”
“It must be picked at the full moon,” she said. “That’s what gives it power.”
Tom frowned. “Full moon is soon.”
“Eight days,” Scarlett answered. “We’ll come back then.”
Daniel swallowed. “Eight days…”
Scarlett glanced at him, sensing something shift.
“Daniel,” she said carefully, “does the moon… worry you?”
He didn’t respond immediately.
He just stared at the circle of sky between the trees.
“Let’s just finish today,” he finally said.
Scarlett exchanged a look with Tom, but neither argued. They took the knotgrass and headed back toward the castle.
Back at Arcanmere — A Risky Plan
They regrouped inside an empty hallway.
“Three ingredients collected,” Scarlett said. “Now the hard ones.”
Tom crossed his arms. “The potions storeroom.”
Daniel nodded. “Locked. Monitored. And full of teachers.”
Tom added, “And we don’t even know where the bicorn horn and boomslang skin are kept.”
Scarlett smiled slightly.
“I do.”
Both boys stared at her.
“What?” Daniel asked.
She tapped her temple. “I pay attention in classes.”
Tom raised a brow. “Explain.”
Scarlett leaned closer. “Professor Aldric stores the rare ingredients in the back cabinet. The glass one with the moon engraving.”
Daniel blinked. “The one with six locks?”
“Yes,” Scarlett said. “And I know the unlocking spell.”
“How?” Tom asked.
Scarlett smirked. “Because Aldric mutters it out loud every class. Teachers forget some students actually listen.”
Daniel exhaled. “So we sneak in tonight?”
Scarlett shook her head firmly.
“No. I sneak in tonight.”
Both boys snapped their heads up.
“What?!” Daniel said.
“No way,” Tom added. “Not alone.”
Scarlett lifted both hands to calm them. “Listen. If you two come, more footsteps, more noise, more chance of getting caught. I can move quietly. I know the cabinet. I know the way. And I can lie better if I get caught.”
Daniel frowned. “That’s not a good thing.”
Tom nodded. “Absolutely not a good thing.”
Scarlett sighed. “Look. We can’t risk all three of us. If something goes wrong, the two of you stay safe.”
Daniel’s voice softened. “Scarlett…”
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll be fine. I promise.”
Tom muttered, “I don’t like this plan.”
Scarlett smiled. “Neither do I. But it’s the only one that works.”
Nightfall — Scarlett’s Break-In
The castle grew silent by midnight. The torches dimmed. Portraits snored softly on the walls. Scarlett slipped out of the Nihilara common room with her bag hugged to her chest.
Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.
She made her way down the stone staircase, avoiding every loose step she had memorized weeks earlier.
When she reached the Potions corridor, she crouched behind an armor statue and listened.
Silence.
She crept forward, wand ready.
“Lumos,” she whispered.
A thin light glowed.
She pressed her wand against the storeroom lock and whispered the spell she had heard countless times.
“Unlockis Almeria.”
The first lock clicked.
She repeated it for the next five.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
She exhaled slowly.
When she pushed the door, it creaked — loudly.
She froze.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No voice.
No teacher.
She slipped inside.
The Storeroom
Shelves towered above her, filled with jars, vials, powders, and floating things that looked half-dead and half-alive.
Scarlett went straight to the moon-engraved cabinet.
She whispered the spell again.
Six more clicks.
The cabinet opened.
Inside, neatly arranged:
? powdered bicorn horn — dangerous, silver-grey
? shredded boomslang skin — green, papery, shimmering
? rare lunar salts
? dried salamander tails
? a jar labeled “For emergencies only”
She didn’t waste time.
She scooped:
A small packet of powdered bicorn horn.
A pinch — exactly enough — of shredded boomslang skin.
Then she locked the cabinet, shut the door, and put out her wand light.
The moment she stepped out, a cold breeze swept across the corridor.
She froze again.
But it was just an open window.
Scarlett exhaled and hurried back to her dorm.
Daniel’s Nightmare
Daniel slept lightly, tossing and turning. His heart raced before the nightmare even began.
He stood once again in the same moonlit forest from all his dreams.
Only this time, the lake was closer.
The moon hung unnaturally large in the sky — too bright, too white, too cold.
Daniel whispered, “Not again…”
Someone was standing at the lake’s edge.
Not a shadow.
A man.
But Daniel couldn’t see his face.
Only his outline — tall, stiff, unmoving.
The water rippled at his feet.
Daniel tried to move, but the ground felt heavy, as if pulling him down.
The moonlight intensified.
The lake glowed silver.
The man finally turned.
His eyes… were the same glowing silver as the lake itself.
Empty.
Cold.
Dead.
He reached out a hand.
Daniel stepped back. “Stay away!”
The man’s voice echoed like it was coming from the lake itself.
“Moon-bearer… you cannot run.”
Daniel tried to run anyway.
But the ground cracked beneath him.
Water hands — pale, transparent — surged upward from the lake, grabbing his ankles.
Daniel screamed.
The silver-eyed man whispered one last thing before Daniel fell:
“When the full moon rises… someone must answer.”
